The present invention relates generally to the field of swaddling wraps for infants and preemies, and more particularly, to swaddling wraps including improved head centering and cushioning to prevent any blocking of breathing, as well as an improved fastener design for maintaining the wraps in their folded configuration.
Buntings and hooded towels are well known for providing warmth and comfort to infants, for example, after a bath or generally. Conventional designs typically include a single square or rectangular piece of material having a hood attached thereto centered along one side. The material may be conventional blanket or towel material depending on the intended use of the article.
Square and rectangular material shapes are advantageous to manufacture because of the simplicity of their geometry. This geometry, however, is disadvantageous in that the folds required to adequately cover an infant with a rectangular piece of material results in air gaps and material bunching about the feet and neck of the infant. While air gaps and bunching about the feet makes these wraps more difficult to use and less effective at providing warmth, bunching about the attachment point of the hood is a safety concern because it allows the infant's head to fit further into the hood than is safe and can block the infant's breathing. Therefore, extra care must be taken to ensure that the infant's breathing is unobstructed during wrapping and thereafter.
To overcome the disadvantages of these prior art designs, what is needed is a swaddling wrap that has a geometry that is safer for the infant and more effective at retaining warmth. It would further be desirable for the wrap to better support the infant's head, maintain its folded configuration, and be easier to use.